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The DNC and DCCC are targeting John Boehner with a "beat Boehner" campaign, I just got another fundraising e-mail from them. That's a great idea but it doesn't appear any of the money is going to fund his actual opponent Democrat Justin Coussoule.
I got a call the other day from a frustrated Democrat in a red state who works on the Democratic Party's coordinated campaign effort for the state. He was fuming because he feels the DSCC and DCCC come into his state to raise money by talking about how bad extremist Republicans are, collect a bunch of money and then instead of using it in the state, use it to bolster conservative Democrats elsewhere. We've been talking about that for a while here at DWT, presumably why the guys called me.
Parker Griffith, as you might recall, is the former Howard Dean supporter and Congressman who switched to the GOP in hopes of boosting his re-election chances.
Great diary over at Left in Alabama where our friends Mooncat and Countrycat infiltrated the Republican Women's Club of Huntsvile meeting to catch a glimpse of Parker Griffith in his new capacity as Republican member of Congress. The episode seemed like an absolute riot.
I had lunch with the Twickenham Republican Women yesterday. "Special guest" Parker Griffith didn't. Griffith didn't even stay until the meeting was called to order. Both of us made the paper.
When I arrived Parker Griffith was standing near the door talking to some folks, press among them. When I left the room to get my lunch, he was by the door, giving an interview. When I returned he was still by the door, giving an interview, facing returning traffic. It took him an instant to recognize me as I approached the door wearing my best smile, but he quickly recovered from the shock and stuck out his hand. Marc McCarter captures the moment in the Huntsville Times:
As Griffith chatted on the fringe of the crowd, a woman - "one of my Democrat friends," Griffith would say - walked up and greeted him.
One hand held a salad plate. One hand was held out.
"Who," she demanded, "do I contact to get my money back?"
That was me. Of course, Parker shifted me off to a staffer who supplied me with a phone number -- y'all email me if you're still trying to get your contributions back and I'll share. And I strongly recommend that you attend one of his campaign appearances and ask him for a refund in person -- it's much harder for him to brush you off that way and since he's in a contested primary he HAS to make campaign appearances.
A few minutes later Griffith was giving an interview to someone with a tv camera when countrycat came through the door and froze him with her special look. She said the reporter actually turned around to see who he was staring at.
Happy New Year friends! I hope yours was as good as mine, I visited my Dad and Stepmom in Missouri. We had a grand time with many good meals (two at Imo's pizza). Imo's is a chain out there that I really dig. I don't know if it's just that California pizza is bad, or this stuff is just really good pie but either way it's something I always look forward to. We saw Invictus, it's excellent! And I picked up a couple shows for my TiVo that I've been hearing about but hadn't seen: The Dog Whisperer, Jersey Shore and 30 Rock.
When I got back my carrots, bok choy, broccoli and mesclun were sprouted as was my chia cat grass that I got for Christmas. My cat Lenny was happy to see me and I'm happy to get back to my regular routine. 1st stop, can you guys vote on this poll? (Please vote Alabama, I'll explain why below)
We've been getting a lot of reports that Ron Sparks is nearing a decision in whether he will seek the AL-05 dem nomination or stay put in the Gov's race. There has been lots of speculation that Ron Sparks would enter this race once Parker Griffith announced last week that he had become a Republican.
Upside - Sparks has high name recognition. District ripe for a populist Democrat.
Downside - Sparks would be criticized for switching races and not living in the 5th.
Good afternoon, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
As always, this is a crosspost from Congress Matters and I will refrain from my routine claim that this is the most important news of the day. That would be the what is happening in your own house this time of the year.
Yesterday the big Capitol Hill News was the party switch of Parker Griffith (AL-05). Well we found out today that on the eve of this maneuver that Main Street Strategies, Griffith's political consulting firm, downloaded sensitive voter data belonging to the Alabama Democratic Party.
h/t to Left in Alabama for their excellent coverage of the Griffith switcheroo
We've added the AL-05 Dem Nominee Fund to the Progressive Electorate Act Blue Page - We are actively trying to recruit a top notch candidate and much more progressive to the fold that Griffith ever would have been
Good afternoon, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
As always, this column originally appears at Congress Matters and contains The Most Important News of the Day™.
Not really a surprise based on his voting patterns and his comments that he would not vote for Speaker Pelosi again for Speaker.
However, I think it's a shame as this district had been reliably Democratic with Bud Cramer who Griffith replaced in 2008. Will be interesting to see if the other announced Republicans stay in in the race.
At least the DCCC won't waste any money on a DINO in this race. Let's hope that we can get a good Dem in this race like former state Auditor and current Public Service Commissioner Susan Parker. She said she's running for re-election.
The folks over at Left in Alabama weigh in heavily with some deserved angst
Can I charge him with fraud? (0.00 / 0)
Can I demand the return of the small contribution I gave him as a Democrat to a Democrat? Could all of his contributors file a class action suit? Blech!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by: Gayla @ Tue Dec 22, 2009 at 10:28:47 AM CST
That SOB! (0.00 / 0)
He's just another Richard Shelby, determined to get power and keep it. He must think the Republicans will take back the House in 2010. I hope the voters of his district send him home.
by: Kathy @ Tue Dec 22, 2009 at 10:37:35 AM CST
[ Parent ]
by: you @ soon
Snake in the grass (0.00 / 0)
He should give back every dime he raised as a Democrat! Every damned dime! I certainly want mine back.
Work harder and work smarter!
by: mooncat @ Tue Dec 22, 2009 at 10:38:01 AM CST
by: you @ soon
I'm still trying to get back my initial vote for Richard Shelby, (0.00 / 0)
when he ran against Jeremiah Denton (R-wingnut) in 1986. I still remember shaking his hand on a street corner in downtown Birmingham when he was campaigning -- as a Democrat. I wouldn't spit on him if I saw him today.
by: Kathy @ Tue Dec 22, 2009 at 10:45:25 AM CST
Bobby Bright - D 191k 489k
Martha Roby - R 91k 178.5 k
AL-03
Mike Rogers - R 170k 308.4k
Joshua Segall - D 130.8k 162.6k
AL 05
Mo Brooks R 64.9k 113.9k
Parker Griffith D 272.2k 618.6k
Les Phillip 67.8k 31.8k
AL-07
Earl Hilliard - D 32.6k 29.4k
James Perkins - D 10.9k less than 1k
Terri Sewell - D 104.8k 317k
Shelia Smoot - D 14.4k 39.7k
Analysis:
AL 02 and AL 05 - Blue Dogs Bobby Bright and Parker Griffith have strong advantages over their challengers.
AL 03 - Josh Segall had an extremely strong quarter and is in great position. He will enter the first of the year a lot stronger than when he started in 2008.
AL 07 - Not a lot of money raised at this point. Sewell has a strong COH advantage although rumors of a poll still has her in the single digits.
If and that's a big if, Alabama Freshman Blue Dog Parker Griffith is reelected he will not vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House again according to an interview he gave to The Hill . Griffith may need to switch parties after these critical and tasteless comments.
"I would not vote for her," Rep. Parker Griffith (D-Ala.) told a constituent at a town hall meeting when asked if he'd support Pelosi. "Someone that divisive and that polarizing cannot bring us together."
Griffith joked that if Pelosi didn't care for his criticism, he has a message for her.
"If she doesn't like it, I've got a gift certificate to the mental health center," he said, according to the Times.
Now Griffith did not say if he would vote for another Democrat as Speaker of the House or a Republican. However, I do not think the Dr. from Huntsville and other Blue Dog Dems should hold the party hostage and continue to get our loyalty. The DCCC needs to recruit a candidate to run against Griffith and openly support them in a primary.
If we are not careful, we could end up with a whole bunch of Rodney Alexanders and Richard Shelbys who decided to leave us high and dry.
So with the earlier reports about Mike Rogers having a cash on hand problem, we have been eagerly awaiting the FEC reports from our three sitting Democratic Congressmen. Of course Artur Davis will be running for Governor, but he will be moving his money from the Congressional account to his state campaign in June.
Bobby Bright - raised $220,583.80 and is currently showing $171,818.78 cash on hand. I'm not overly impressed for someone that will be targeted very heavily as a pick up opportunity for the Republicans. This is not abysmal by any means though and better than what I expected actually. Bright has no campaign debt though.
Parker Griffith - raised $236,173.26 and is currently showing $193,544.60 cash on hand. While it's about the same as Bright and he does have a lot of campaign debt, I think Griffith is in much better shape. I don't think there is a strong Republican bench at all in this District and from what I've been told Griffith is a better fundraiser than Bright.
Artur Davis - Davis raised $110,649.41 but
from my understanding he stopped taking individual contributions after his Gubernatorial announcement in February. However based on looking at his report he did accept PAC contributions in March .
Davis shows $1,121,412.57 in cash on hand which is a very solid amount considering he hoped to be able to move 1 million to his Gubernatorial account.
*Oh and Robert Aderholt R (AL-04) is showing $334,668.71 on hand - officially making Rogers by far with the least amount of cash on hand of any Alabama Congressman. I would imagine that Rogers probably posted one of the lowest incumbent cash on hand numbers in the country.
We have blogged about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and referenced its passing on a couple of occassions. We also were very disappointed in two freshman Democratic Reps from Alabama voting against this act.
Here is the paraphrasing of Griffith's answer from Mooncat (I guess I'm playing that game telephone if I don't just quote what she said that he told her)
Griffith told me emphatically that it is not ok for anyone to discriminate based on gender. He asked me to consider a small business with stores in different parts of town, each one with a different revenue. The night manager in one store might be paid $800 a week. The store across town may not be doing as well -- maybe it has recently opened and sales are lower -- and the night manager may only be paid $650 a week. If the night manager in the second case was a woman she might be able to claim wage discrimination and file for damages. That possibility could make the business owner reluctant to hire a woman to work in that new store. Griffith also said that he had hoped Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's amendment (I'm unfamiliar with it but it apparently would have addressed his concerns) would have been adopted in the Senate bill and if so he thought he would have been able to support the compromise
.
While Mooncat gives Griffith some points for that answer, I find it a very weak copout. His example would not fit into the one of equal pay circumstances based on what one of the comments in the thread clearly explains.
Furthermore, my understanding of the Lilly Ledbetter law is that only the statute of limitations changes on how long you have to file an equal pay lawsuit. This does not change any equal pay laws or make it easier other than changing the time at which the statute of limitations starts.
Only 5 Democrats voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Act. Kind of ironic since Ledbetter is from Alabama. And Left in Alabama makes the great point that this was not the Blue Dog Coalition voting in Unison here. You would think that Griffith and Bright would have voted for fair pay legislation with it being named for an Alabama citizen.
The DCCC spent all kinds of money in these two races and we cannot even get these two rookies to vote for fair pay legislation. Meanwhile they did not send enough money to Josh Segall who certainly would have voted for this legislation. (Ledbetter is from the 3rd Congressional District).
Oh and by the the way the Paycheck Fairness - Bright and Griffith nearly stood alone as "Democratcs". They were joined by Walt Minnick of Idaho. Even the most conservative Dem in Congress Dan Boren (OK) voted for the Paycheck Fairness Bill.
Look I know that if Bobby Bright weren't the nominee in AL-02 we would not have won this seat. I beg to differ on Griffith's vote. At least Artur Davis made the right decision.
